


Counting sheep

by candles_to_stars



Series: Making it count [1]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Nesting, Pregnancy, SO FLUFFY, Slice of Life, Twins, throwing up, ultrasound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-07-16 16:59:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7276318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candles_to_stars/pseuds/candles_to_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Alec woke up, he felt like today was going to be a good day.<br/>That was, until he turned around to bury his face in Magnus’ chest, and a wave of nausea washed over him, strong enough to chase him for the bed and into the bathroom before his guts turned themselfs inside out..</p><p> </p><p>Or simply: Magnus and Alec are going to have a baby</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is self indulgent. Just so you know.  
> No further comments.

When Alec woke up, he felt like today was going to be a good day. The sun was shining through the slight shiver between the curtains and Magnus was warm where he was pressed up against his back. He’d just moved in two months ago and the apartment they shared had been home for so much longer, he felt incredibly content just laying there for a while, snuggling with his boyfriend, before he had to get to work. It was a quiet routine, one he would never be able to get enough off: waking up with Magnus beside him, watching him sleep for a few minutes before he had to get up. Getting ready and having breakfast together. Than of to work or - on the rare days he had off – going on a date or hanging around in the loft before having dinner and going back to bed. He was just so glad to be here, lazing around and enjoying the moment.  
That was, until he turned around to bury his face in Magnus’ chest, and a wave of nausea washed over him, strong enough to chase him for the bed and into the bathroom before his guts turned itself inside out...

-

He was still hanging above the toilet, eyes closed and arms wrapped around his stomach when he heard the toilet flush. Looking up, he saw his tall, handsome boyfriend looming above him. Magnus still looked a bit sleepy, with his hair in all directions and creases on his cheek, void of any make-up, but his eyes were sharp as he kneeled down next to Alec. His hand came up to his forehead and brushed away the sweaty hair that stuck to it. 

‘Hey,’ he said with a soft smile that Alec couldn’t help but reciprocate. ‘Are you feeling okay?’ Alec pressed into the touch as it drifted to his cheek, and thought about the question. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms and looked up.

‘Yeah. I feel fine actually. Must’ve eaten something bad.’ Keeping his movements careful so he wouldn’t upset his stomach once more - no matter how good he felt – he stood up, thinking about the take-out they’d had yesterday. Maybe it hadn’t been properly cooked or something like that. ‘What time is it?’

‘Uhm, about seven thirty-five?’ Groaning, Alec brought his hands up to his face and pressed them over his eyes. With getting dressed, breakfast, a shower and taking the subway, he’d have to start getting ready now. Also, he needed to calculate in more time to brush his teeth if he wanted to get rid of the taste that still lingered in his mouth. There went his snuggle time. 

‘I need to start getting ready. I told Isabelle I’d be at the Institute by eight thirty.’  
‘Alec! You’re not going to work today!’ Magnus looked affronted that he’d even manage to think of something like that. ‘You just threw up last night’s dinner, you can’t go hunt demons like this!’ 

It was cute how protective Magnus got of Alec, nice even. Before, he’d always been the one to protect and care for others. Now he had someone to care for him. But in this moment, it just wasn’t necessary. He felt fine. No upset stomach, no nausea, nothing.

‘Magnus, I told you, I feel fine. Just had to get something out of my system.’ Magnus pouted as Alec pulled himself up onto his tiptoes and kissed his cheek – not wanting to kiss Magnus with this terrible breath and taste in his mouth.  
‘I claim the right to tell you: “I told you so”, if you’re going to end up hurting yourself.’ An amused snicker escaped his lips. 

‘Right granted. Now go and get dressed.’ With a playful slap on Magnus’ butt, he turned around to turn on the shower so it could warm up. And with an indignant: ‘Fine,’ Magnus made his dramatic exit.

-

The next day, Magnus refused to let it go though. Let him go.  
‘You’re obviously sick. I swear to God Alec, if you try to leave this apartment, I will cast a spell that’ll force you to stay here.’ And it would be cute that Magnus was so worried about his well-being, but he didn’t have to! Alec felt perfectly all right. No matter how many times he told Magnus this though, he wouldn’t cave. He crossed his arms and huffed, but he knew Magnus would do it.

And so, he’d ended up wasting a perfectly good day in bed and later – after Magnus allowed him to move around – on the couch. Watching stupid TV while Magnus saw his clients and made him soup, which he pointedly turned away. He wasn’t hungry anyway. And besides, the soup smelled weird. 

Regardless, Magnus kept on trying. He didn’t get that Alec _wasn’t feeling sick_.

He did feel useless and stupid and restless though, being trapped in his own apartment by his boyfriend. And no matter how giddy the thoughts “apartment” and “boyfriend” still made him, he was also feeling a bit annoyed. It wasn’t like Magnus owned him or could tell him what he could and couldn’t do.

He wasn’t sick. He was fine and Magnus just didn’t believe him.

-

When he threw up for the third day in a row though, Alec began to see his point. The nausea was taking longer to subside now, tying him to the toilet for almost half an hour before he could make it safely back over to the bed on wobbly legs. With a groan, he flopped back down, rolling onto his side to avoid putting any pressure whatsoever on his stomach. Magnus knelt down next to his side and handed him a glass of water. He was glad for the plain beverage for it cleaned his mouth, and he didn’t think he could handle anything stronger really. 

‘You’re sick. Stay in bed.’ Alec could only groan in answer. He didn’t feel all that bad anymore, but his skin was sticky and he felt dirty after throwing up. What he really wanted was submerging himself in a hot bath and not emerge from it for the rest of the day. His stomach was a bit upset still, and hunching over the toilet for over half an hour had left him with a sore back and legs. 

He didn’t feel like coming out of bed though. Now that he was laying down, he realized how tired he really was. Even though he’d spend most of yesterday doing nothing but dozing and lounging, he felt like he hadn’t had any sleep in days, instead running around the dingy parts of New York, chasing demons.  
He fell asleep faster than he’d had in years.

-

When Magnus returned with some pills to help with the nausea, he found his boyfriend fast asleep, clutching Magnus´ pillow to his chest. A little bit of drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, and Magnus couldn’t help but feel so much affection for the younger boy. He could be so headstrong and tough, when really, all Magnus wanted was to make sure he was all right. He looked so cute, curled up like a little ball, reminding Magnus of the Chairman.

Placing the pills on the nightstand, Magnus pulled out his phone and dialled one of the few numbers saved in it.  
´Hey Catarina- No, no, I’m fine. It’s just, I was wondering, could you come over? I’m worried about Alec. He hasn’t been feeling too well these days.’

-

‘You’re crazy. I can’t be. It’s impossible, if you didn’t know that already.’ Alec pushed away from the headboard he was resting against and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, making it all the way to standing before a wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to sway on his feet and stumble a step. Quick as a snake, he felt Magnus’ hands on his arms, steadying him so he wouldn’t fall.

‘Alec, I know it sounds crazy – believe me, I know –, but I’ve also been a nurse for over a hundred-twenty years. Don’t you think I can recognize the signs of a pregnancy when I see them? Not to mention I can feel the presence of the baby inside you. Which Magnus would be able to feel as well, if he only tried.’

Using a lot of drama he must’ve learned from his boyfriend, he let himself fall backwards onto the bed. Groaning as he threw his arms across his face.  
_‘I can’t be pregnant?!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this, please let me know. Also: I've got a lot of inspiration for this fic (pushing other works to the background), but if there's something you would like to see, let me know as well, and I'll see what I can do!
> 
> Lastly, English isn't my native language and this is un-beta'd, so if you see any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out!


	2. Four weeks

Alec was feeling miserable. He was barely a month along, but ever since he'd found out he was pregnant, his body seemed to be rebelling on him more than ever. The last three days, he'd barely been out of bed, only leaving it to make the short journey to the couch, and he hadn't left the apartment in a week. Every single move upset his already queasy stomach, but that wasn't all.

No, Alec was barely a month along, and he already felt like the most insistent, demanding father - mother? - to be. He couldn't work anymore, not even paperwork because some of the more gruesome details could tip him over the edge. Magnus had to take care of everything around the loft, including him. He had stupid cravings which would turn against him just as soon, making him throw up every single thing he'd managed to get in that day - which wasn't all that much anymore, causing him to _lose_ weight instead of gaining it. They had to start using new laundry detergent because the old smell made Alec sick, whereas before, he'd always loved it. He felt like useless burden already. His body was making good progress on turning itself inside out. He was tired and nauseous throughout the day. It all made him want to cry. And of course, because of those stupid hormones, he also did cry. A lot.  
Long sorry short: Alec was pretty miserable.

And to top it all off, he was worried about the baby. After the first shock (and second, and third), he’d accepted his fate. And not only accepted. No, he’d always loved children, loved taking care of Max when he was younger. And this was his own child. His and Magnus. He had no doubt the child would be perfect, but he hoped he looked like Magnus, because Magnus was the most beautiful human being alive. He already loved the tiny life inside of him, loved the idea of their own baby.

But throwing up as much as he did, without keeping anything in for more than just a few hours, he was anxious the baby wouldn’t get enough nutrients. Catarina had been by the previous day to check in on him and easy his worries, but he wasn’t much calmer. Even though she’d said heavy sickness like this happened more often and wouldn’t be dangerous unless it lasted more than ten days. He’d gotten vitamin supplements and the recommendation to drink a lot and eat small potions throughout the day.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Magnus sat down in front of the couch Alec was laying on. He took the hand that’d unconsciously found its way to his still flat abdomen, and pressed a kiss to the knuckles before placing it back. 

‘I’m worried about the baby. What if it won’t be healthy? I’ve looked around online and they say even this early on, underdevelopment can have great impact on a child’s life.’ Magnus smiled a sad, loving smile, so caring and gentle tears appeared in Alec’s eyes.

‘You’ve got too much spare time on your hands now that you can’t hunt anymore,’ Magnus chuckled. ‘The baby will be fine. Don’t worry love. Cat said you don’t have to worry yet, as long as we follow her instructions. So I’ve brought you some iced tea.’ The cooled drink had a blue straw in it, and the idea of Magnus thinking about him enough to pick a straw to match his eyes, made the tears fall.

‘Thank you, Mags. Those stupid hormones,’ with a hand, Alec whipped away the tears before reaching out to take the glass off his boyfriend. Magnus chuckled and pressed a kiss on Alec’s cheek as he took a small sip through the straw.

‘I like it. Like I like every single thing about you. It’s nice to see you not so stoic for once.’ Alec huffed and placed the glass back on the floor, taking a few deep breaths to make sure he wouldn’t throw up. So far, the non-sweetened iced tea seemed to be okay.

‘Do you wane take a supplement?’ Because of the pregnancy, he couldn’t safely take most pills to kill the nausea. He just had to take his nutrient supplements and hope they would stay down long enough for his body to process them. Knowing better than nodding, Alec simply said yes and took the pills with his iced tea. He was doing at least a bit better today. He’d thrown up that morning after eating a few crackers, but the few pieces of apple he’d had for lunch had stayed down so far. It was better than yesterday, when he’d already thrown up thrice before lunch. They were both silent for a while, Magnus holding Alec’s hand and softly kissing his forehead while he sipped his drink.

‘Your sister called again today.’ Magnus said after a while, looking at their joined hands. ‘She’s really worried about you.’ So far, Alec had not yet told Isabelle and Jace about what was going on. Magnus had called them the day Alec had first stayed home sick, telling them Alec couldn’t come to the Institute because he wasn’t feeling well, and that was the story he’d told them ever since. _Alec wasn’t feeling well. He couldn’t come to the meeting today. He couldn’t come hunting. He wasn’t feeling well._ Days and days of the same story, and Magnus didn’t know how long they would buy it before they turned up here demanding answers. He was surprised they hadn’t been by already, actually. ‘I’m afraid they’ll turn up here tomorrow or the day after. They won’t be kept away much longer, you’ll have to tell them the truth someday.’

‘I know,’ Alec sighed, putting down his half-empty glass. ‘I’ll tell them soon.’ Slowly leaning forwards, Alec pressed his lips against Magnus’. The warlock reached his hands up to steady his boyfriend and helped him back on the cushions. 

‘Okay.’ Magnus smiled and brushed the hair out of his face. ‘Do you want a cracker? Catarina recommended small portions throughout the day.’

‘Not yet. I want make sure these pills stay down.’ His hand once again pressed against his stomach, and found Magnus’ resting next to it. If he imagined hard enough, he could almost feel a little bump. An infinitesimally small, hard bead deep inside his belly. Rationally, he knew that was impossible, but it was nice to pretend.

‘Mags, are you happy?’ He suddenly asked, and Magnus looked up. 

‘Of course I’m happy Alexander. I love you. I love you so much. How could I not be happy?’ Alec bit his lip, looking down at the floor where a bucket stood next to his boyfriend.

‘But… Are you happy with the baby? Will you love our baby just as much? Because if not…’ He trailed off. Magnus’ eyes grew wide at his statement, and his hands came up to cover both sides of Alec’s face. Staring into the gleaming cat eyes he loved so much, he saw nothing but uncomprehending love. 

‘Alec. Of course I’ll love our baby. It’s _our_ baby. And I don’t care what’ll happen or what anyone will think about this, because I’ll love you both. I love you so much. Alec, you are the best thing that happened to me, and you didn’t even have to think about keeping this baby after finding out you were pregnant. I’m over four hundred years old and never, never did anyone even talk to me about raising children, whether they were their own or adopted. Not that before, I’d thought this was an option, but they didn’t even ask me. You didn’t have to ask. You found out you were having my baby and didn’t even hesitate.’

Alec surged forwards with abandon, hooking his arms around Magnus’ shoulders and crushing him close. They both laughed, and happy tears streamed down Alec’s face to dampen Magnus’ silk, purple shirt.   
‘I love you. I love you so much,’ Alec brought out. And that was all he could do before he had to pull back as quickly as possible, bending over the bucket and once more throwing up his pills and apple. The sour smell made him heave even after his stomach was empty, up until Magnus snapped his fingers to clean it out. He felt sick and queasy and his hands shook form over-exerting his body.

 

He felt miserable. But he was also happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so exited about this and about all your comments and kudos! This really went beyond my expectations already.
> 
> I haven't re-read this yet, but I'll do it tomorrow, just wanted to post this already! I hope you'll all like this as much as you liked the first chapter!
> 
> And lastly, I've never been pregnant myself (thank god), so this is just all stuff I made up and researched on the internet. Do not take any medical advice from me, please.


	3. Seven weeks

They were both sitting on the couch. The last couple of days, Alec´s morning sickness had finally subsided until it was simply what the name made it out to be: morning sickness. He was eating better and the weight he’d lost was back again, which was good. But now that he was able to sit up without puking, he’d finally agreed to seeing Jace and Isabelle. He’d missed them the last couple of weeks – it was the longest they’d been apart since Jace had come to live with them –, but he was nervous about telling them he was pregnant. Sure, he knew they loved him and wanted to see him happy, but this was something else. It wasn’t like coming out, which was shunned amongst shadowhunters, but still rather normal. This was just weird. Impossible. Even though it was happening. It wasn’t something he’d wanted to discuss while laying down and throwing up.

Magnus and him had talked about this a lot on the days Alec’d spent on the couch and in bed. How had this happened? How could this have happened? At first, Alec had somehow thought it was a strange side-effect of Magnus’ magic, but Magnus himself thought it was something else. Though the magic probably had a big part in it, there was also the added fact that Magnus’ father was technically an angel. While it was true most warlocks couldn’t get any children because of their mixed blood, angel blood was dominant. Tessa for example had had children with Will, and she was a warlock with angel blood as well. Maybe when adding warlock magic, angel blood and shadowhunters, you’d get a mix that would allow a man to get pregnant.

He was pulled out of his musings when Magnus turned off the TV and turned towards Alec to press a kiss to the spot where his neck met his shoulder. Sighing happily, Alec tilted his head to make more room for Magnus’ careful ministrations. 

‘How’re you feeling?’ Came the soft inquiry, his lips never leaving his skin.  
‘Amazing,’ Alec answered pliantly. ‘I love you so much.’ Magnus snickered in response, pulling back a bit so that only his arm was around Alec’s shoulders.

‘I love you too, but as much as I like to hear that and remind you of it, it wasn’t what I meant.’ His free hand came up to caress the slight bump which was now invisible underneath Alec’s baggy sweater. It was little more than a slight bloat, but it was there. A smile made it on both of their faces, as they always did whenever Magnus touched Alec’s baby bump. Even though the baby was still much too small to be able to move around, let alone kick, it reminded both of them that _yes, this was happening. They both wanted this and they loved this little clump of cells that would grow up to be their beautiful baby._ The first time Magnus had noticed the slight swell, he’d pulled Alec into his arms and glued himself to his back, hands curling around the smaller boy to caress his belly with soft moving fingers, lips pressing against the nape of Alec’s neck while taking in the evidence of their baby, of their mutual love. 

‘I feel fine Mags. The baby is still today, not causing as much of a havoc.’ Magnus had told him the day before how he loved it when Alec talked about their baby like he was there already: a little, living child already having their own will. It made this all seem even more real than the little bump.

It was right that moment when the buzzer went off, alerting the couple of the arrival of Alec’s siblings. 

‘You ready?’ Magnus asked, squeezing his shoulder before kissing his cheek and standing up.  
‘As ready as I’ll ever be,’ Alec replied, following his boyfriend with his eyes as he moved to buzz in Izzy and Jace before returning to Alec’s side.

‘As long as you remember I’ll always be here to support you,’ he whispered while curling his arms around the younger boy before pulling back when the front door opened.

‘Alec?’ Jace called out as he and Isabelle made their way into the apartment, catching sight of the couple on the couch and moving toward them. Alec smiled shyly at them, carefully standing up, still weary of his own body’s reactions. 

‘Hey guys,’ he greeted, wrapping his arms around Isabelle before hugging Jace briefly. ‘How are you both?’ They rolled their eyes in unison, something that would’ve been creepy if they hadn’t all grown up together, syncing them up in most ways.

‘We’re great, Alec. The real question here is: how are you. And what’s going on that has you avoiding us?’ Crap. It wasn’t like Alec had really thought they’d buy the excuses Magnus’d made for him, but somehow he’d hoped he could put this off a bit longer. Looking at Magnus for help, the warlock took his hand and sat them both down, motioning at their guests to take a seat as well. 

‘Like a band aid?’ He whispered, and Alec nodded, tentatively looking up to his siblings.

‘All right. So. We don’t know for sure how this happened. God knows it’s a first for everybody, so there isn’t all that much to rely on here,’ he started, biting his lip before taking a deep breath and finishing quickly: ‘I’m pregnant.’

It was like the world froze for a moment. Nobody inside the apartment moved or breathed, the noise always filtering in from outside seemed to fall away as Magnus’ hand tightened its grip on Alec’s. 

‘What do you mean: you’re pregnant?’ Jace asked after the longest moments of Alec’s life. 

‘Like, there’s a baby growing inside of me?’ He cast his eyes down, and the statement came out more like a question than he’d originally planned. His hand automatically came up to cover his belly, as if to protect his baby from harm. 

Izzy’s squeal made his head snap up so fast he almost pulled a muscle. A huge grin was spreading across her face and she clapped her hands together like an over-exited child in a theme park.

‘Alec! Why didn’t you tell us sooner?’ She shot up and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him towards her. In his dazed state, he did little more than just sit there. ‘O, big brother, I’m so happy for you! You’ll be an amazing dad!’  
‘Thank you, Izzy.’

And wasn’t that typically Isabelle? She seemed so excited, it didn’t even seem to occur to her that this was meant to be impossible in more ways than one. In that moment, Alec was so glad to have her as his sister. He carefully pulled back from her and looked at Jace, who’d since moved towards one of the big windows overlooking the street below. 

‘Jace?’ He asked softly, wanting to know how his parabatai thought about his. He was awfully quiet, something that was even more disturbing because, well, he was Jace. 

‘But, how?’ The blond asked, and before Alec could open his mouth, Magnus answered calmly: ‘Like Alec said, we don’t know for sure. We think it’s some kind of combination of magic and angel blood. What do you think?’ His voice held a warning clear for everyone to hear, urging Jace to tell Alec how great this was, how happy he was about this news. If he didn’t, he would be answering to the high warlock of Brooklyn. Jace’s hands came up to rub his face before covering him mouth for a moment. He took a breath large enough for even Alec to notice from the couch.

‘I’m happy for you. I really am Alec. I just… I need some time to process this.’  
‘That’s okay,’ he softly answered, eyes travelling back down towards his hands, not wanting to look at his freaking out parabatai right now. ‘I needed some time to get this through as well.  
I couldn’t believe it at first,’ he chuckled softly, looking back up at Magnus. ‘But I’m so happy Jace. I really am. This is everything I never thought I could have.’ A blinding smile spread across Magnus’ face, joy clear for all to see, and he knew Magnus felt the same way. Would always feel the same way.  
‘That’s… that’s good, I guess.’  
‘It really is,’ Alec said, now looking back at his brother. His eyes were a bit more steady, and he’d lowered his hands, which Alec too as a good sign.

‘How long has it been?’ Isabelle cut in, not one to forget her excitement so quickly. Her grin was still in place, and through she’d sat back down, she seemed to be bouncing in her chair with delight. 

‘About seven weeks now,’ Magnus cut in, draping an arm around Alec’s middle, letting him rest against his side. Even though the excessive vomiting had stopped, Alec still grew tired quickly. ‘We’re going to see Catarina next week for the ultrasound. We wanted to go sooner to make sure everything was all right, but-,’ he cut off, looking at Alec to see how much he wanted to tell his siblings himself. He shrugged and simply said: ‘I was really sick. Most of the time, I couldn’t even sit up without puking, which is why I haven’t come over. So, Magnus wasn’t lying to you guys. I really was sick.’

 

They kept on talking like that, the conversation drifting from one thing to another as if nothing strange ad happened, until Alec was left yawning next to his boyfriend.

‘Why don’t you go to bed darling?’ He pressed his lips against Alec’s hair and helped him stand up. ‘I’ll show your brother and sister out and then join you, all right?’ 

Alec nodded happily and after a last hug of both Isabelle and Jace, went off to the bedroom to put on his pyjamas. After taking of his jeans and shirt, he stood in front of the full-length mirror for a moment, looking at the slight swell of his stomach and carefully drifting his fingers over it.

‘I love you, little blueberry,’ he murmured, before pulling on his flannels and laying down on the bed. He groaned when he felt the softness of the mattress and coolness of the sheets, only now noticing how tired he really was. 

He barely noticed when Magnus opened the bedroom door and after a snap of his fingers to change, crept in behind him.

‘That went better than expected,’ the warlock whispered while wrapping Alec up in his arms. Alec could only hum in agreement before he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter guys! Thank you all so much for commenting, they all make me so happy!!  
> And now Jace and Isabelle know! I didn't want them to freak out all too much, but Jace is having a bit of a hard time getting this through his head? Which is understandable. 
> 
> I know blueberry is Max's nickname, but while I researching online for this chapter, I found this site that compares a baby's week-by-week size to other, normal things, and at 7 weeks, a baby is the size of a blueberry. It was too cute to pass up on the opportunity. 
> 
> Next chapter: ultrasound! Yay.


	4. Eight weeks

The hospital was huge, looming over passer-by’s with its many square-cornered, white-walled stories. Before, whenever Alec had walked past, he’d imagined feeling the eyes of its many inhabitants on his back. Staring out at the streets and wishing they were out there.   
He had never been inside though, there wasn’t any need for hospitals when you had runes that could fix almost everything, and warlocks for injuries you couldn’t heal yourself. 

Now, he was inside, sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair in a spotless but dingy waiting room. He was wearing his favourite sweater, which conveniently hid every trace of the almost invisible bump on his stomach while fulfilling its duty at keeping Alec at least a bit calm. Magnus was leaning over the counter at the other end of the room, talking to a nurse so that Catarina would know they were there. Now that they were in the hospital, he felt all his nervousness rising once more. In a few minutes, he would know if their baby was healthy. What if it wasn’t? What if it really had underdeveloped because of Alec’s bad eating habits the last couple of weeks? He also really needed to pee, but wasn’t allowed to, as it would make the ultrasound more accurate. His hands were twisting in and around each other, unable to stay still.

Looking past Magnus, he could see the other warlock walking towards the waiting area, her blue skin was of course glamoured to look normal to mundanes, but still shone brightly to the shadowhunter. 

‘Mr. Lightwood?’ She inquired, keeping up her professional façade. Standing up, Alec wiped his sweaty hands on his pants before walking over to the nurse. Magnus was already by his friend’s side, holding out his hand for Alec to take. With a tiny, shy smile, he took it before they followed Catarina further into the hospital.

‘Are you nervous?’ Cat asked, sending the couple a look over her shoulder. Her kind smile eased Alec a bit, though most of his anxiousness remained.   
‘Yeah.’ 

‘I’m sure there’s no need. Everything seemed fine when I saw you four weeks ago. The chances of something going wrong in a pregnancy are really rather small.’ She murmured something intelligible beneath her breath that Alec didn’t catch, but he doubted whether he even wanted to know. If it was something he needed to know, Catarina would tell him, he was sure of that.

‘When this is all over, we can go shopping for the nursery if you’re not too tired,’ Magnus whispered in his ear, and Alec smiled at him. Though he knew Magnus really wanted to go shopping with him, it was also his way for calming him down. Presuming the baby would be perfectly fine and they could go ahead and plan a future for the three of them.

‘Here we are!’ Their appointment was booked in a small room way from the busier parts of the hospital. There was a bed and a monitor placed in it, along with some machines Alec didn’t recognise. The walls were lined with white cupboards and counters. 

‘If you don’t mind, I would like to start immediately. That way, might there appear to be anything wrong, we’ve got more time to discuss possible solutions.’ Shaking his head, Alec motioned for her to continue. He rather wanted this over with as soon as possible himself. Cat’s words hadn’t really made this seem any less pressing. Magnus’ thumb drew slow circles across the back of Alec’s hand. He knew how much the boy had dreaded this appointment, how scared he was for their baby. He felt rather out of his depth himself. They had no way of knowing how their baby developed, as this wasn’t really your average pregnancy. 

‘Okay, great. So, I’ll need you to take of your sweater and please lay down on the examination bed.’ A slight flush came up to Alec’s cheeks when he pulled off his clothes. Even though Cat was looking the other way to check up on the equipment and he knew she would be strictly professional about this, he wasn’t normally in the business of taking off his clothes in front of anyone but Magnus. That was mostly Jace’s area of expertise. 

As soon as he’d lain down on the bed, Catarina turned to him with a kind smile, taking in his belly. He squirmed a bit under her steady gaze.

‘I see you’ve been eating better?’ She concluded after a moment. ‘And your belly is a bit bigger than average at eight weeks, which is a good sign. It means that your baby isn’t underdeveloped despite the drop in nutrients.’ Both Magnus and Alec let out a relieved sigh at this. That at least was out of the way. Next, Catarina explained she was going to put a clear lube on his stomach to help with the ultrasound, causing Magnus to give Alec a knowing smirk and Alec to flush bright red. 

And then, she put the receiver on his stomach and the previously black screen lit up with grey and white images. Forgetting his embarrassment, Alec gazed at the monitor, desperately trying to make anything out of the vague shapes as Catarina moved the wand. 

‘Ah, there he is, and…’ She fell silent for a moment, and Alec felt all blood leave his face, his palms sweating and breathing increasing. This was it. Something was wrong. Something was incredibly wrong and his baby was going to die if it was even still alive at this point. He would be born sick or… ‘Congratulations. You’re having twins.’ And Alec’s breath stopped completely. Next to him, he could hear Magnus taking in a loud gasp, their hands both tightening around each other. He could dimly hear Catarina explaining how this could explain his excessive sickness, but really, all he could think about was the word “twins”. _Twins._

‘Can you hold your breath for me?’ Funny. Alec didn’t think he’d been breathing at all these last minutes. He did as he was told though. Always the good soldier. As he held his breath, the image on the screen stilled and Catarina pointed towards a small white speck.   
‘That is the first baby,’ her hand moved to a another one, ‘and this is the second.’ The hand that wasn’t clutching his boyfriend’s came up to wipe at his eyes as tears threatened to fall out. _Twins._ A smile split open his face as he looked up at Magnus.

‘Twins,’ he whispered, reverently. He was barely aware of Catarina cleaning off the lube, sparing her only a short glance. ‘Are they healthy?’  
‘They are as healthy as they can be. A bit big for their age, but nothing out of the ordinary. You can rest assured.’ As he sat up, Magnus threw his arms around him. Their lips slotted together like muscle memory, and for once, Alec didn’t even think about Catarina. His happiness felt like a bubble surrounding them both. He thought of their babies, and of Magnus, and tears streamed down his face as he laughed into the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, the next chapter already! I've had this one pretty clear in my head for a while, so enjoy this quick update, even though it isn't too long!
> 
> As always, thank you for your comments, you are all too sweet! Consider this fast update as a small thank-you!  
> xx


	5. Fourteen weeks

‘Magnus?’ The loft was uncharacteristically silent as Alec padded out of the bedroom. It was already nearing midday, but he didn’t have to be anywhere today, and he’d just been really tired. Usually, whenever Magnus got up, Alec would wake as well. That hadn’t happened today, obviously, so he must’ve been fast asleep. He was feeling fine now though, fully awake and energised, so he decided to get some working out done. Catarina had advised him to stay active as much as possible - seeing how much he’d trained before – as it was better for both him and the babies.

Upon entering the kitchen, he noticed a note stuck to the fridge.  
_Alexander,_  
I’ve got to attend to a client today, but I’ll be back before 3. I made you breakfast, you can find it in the fridge. If anything happens, please don’t hesitate to call me.  
I love you  
Magnus

Alec re-read the note twice while eating his small sandwich and yoghurt. Ever since he’d found out he was pregnant, he stopped drinking coffee – both because it made him sick and because it was bad for the baby –, so now he was sipping his tea. After finishing, he cleaned everything away and texted Jace to let him know he’d be coming over.

-

Jace was in the training room when he entered. 

‘Hey man, how are you?’ His parabatai shot him a smile as he walked towards Alec. Since he’d told Jace he was expecting, things had been a bit weird between the two of them. However, Alec could tell Jace was trying really hard to maintain their old friendship. 

‘I’m great. Much better the last few weeks. Haven’t thrown up in days.’ Grinning, they exchanged a short hug. 

‘So, do what do we owe this pleasure?’ Jace asked as he took up one of the training batons. 

‘Magnus is out, and since Catarina’s advised me to stay active…’ He shrugged. The last few weeks, he’d been over more. His parents were out on “business”, so there was no risk of running into them. Even though his clothes still easily hid his small bump, he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. 

‘And you’re sure you want to do combat today? We could go and practice archery, if it’s dangerous for the babies?’ Sometimes, Jace was even more concerned for them than Alec himself. He hated archery, and for him to even offer it when Alec was ready to fight was a rarity. 

‘Jace. I’m pregnant. Not impaired. As long as you don’t ram that thing into my stomach, we’ll be fine.’  
‘So I’m on the disadvantage now, am I?’  
‘Depends what you’re counting as a disadvantage. Don’t worry, I won’t hit you in the stomach either if it makes you happy.’ Alec took his own baton and raised it. ‘You ready?’

-

They’d been at it for maybe twenty minutes when Alec started to get tired. He was sweating and panting, his skin tingling uncomfortably. It was pathetic really, how quickly he grew drained these days. Rationally, he knew it wasn’t his fault, but it felt like a weakness. Before, he could spar with Jace for at least an hour before starting to get tired, but with the babies and all, he just couldn’t anymore. 

‘Jace, stop,’ he panted, lowering his staff a bit and taking a step back to create some distance between the two of them.

‘Getting tired, old man?’ His brother taunted, raising his baton for a last strike. It was coming to his legs fast, and he stumbled back in an effort to protect himself.  
‘I said _stop_!’ He threw his staff at the blond, who barely managed to dodge the stick before it hit his head. Alec didn’t have time to worry about him though, suddenly exhausted and just so done with Jace. He doubled over, placing one hand on his knees and one on his stomach while catching his breath. 

‘Hey, are you okay?’ A hand landed on his shoulder and he slapped it away. The place he’d touched stung.  
‘Don’t,’ he panted, straightening up. ‘I’m fine, just tired. I’m gonna go get a shower.’ And with that, he left the training room.

He didn’t feel fine though. By the time he reached his old room and pulled off his sweater, he felt like his skin was crawling and itching all over. His knees were shaking and he sank down against the side of his shower, placing his hands over his mouth. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like he was having a panic attack, but he didn’t know why.  
Was something wrong? Were the babies all right? Why was he feeling this way? He shouldn’t feel like bursting out of here. He should feel safe here, this was his home for years, but he didn’t. He didn’t feel safe, or at ease, or calm.  
With shaking hands, he pulled his phone out of his jeans. 

‘Magnus?’ His voice sounded wrong to his own ears, strangled. He could only hope Magnus didn’t hear it, but of course he did.

‘Alec? What’s wrong.’ And if Magnus didn’t know him, who did? He knew Alec would never call when he was at work if something wasn’t up. He could hear the strain in his voice even if Alec hoped he couldn’t. Maybe he should’ve been stronger, just gotten into the shower and forget about whatever was going on, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to see Magnus and curl up on the couch of their apartment and have a bath instead of a crappy shower. 

‘I don’t feel too well.’ 

‘Where are you?’ Alec could cry out of relief.  
‘I’m in my bathroom at the institute.’  
‘Okay. I’ll be there in a minute. I love you.’  
‘Love you too.’

After putting down the phone, Alec hung his head between his knees to get his breathing back to normal. He briefly contemplated putting back on his sweater, but the coolness of the glass soothed his over-sensitive back, and it wasn’t as if Magnus would mind. Barely twenty breaths later, the warlock burst into the bathroom, immediately crouching by his side and cupping his face in his hands. 

‘What’s wrong? Is it the babies?’ The golden eyes trained on his shone with concern. It broke his heart knowing he’d caused Magnus such worries, but he didn’t regret calling his boyfriend as right now, he already felt a bit better. Taking stock of what he was feeling, he shook his head.  
‘I don’t think so. My skin just hurts a bit, I want to go home.’ He sounded pathetic and small, matching the way he felt right now. 

‘Okay.’ A pair of lips pressed against his forehead. ‘Let’s go. Can you stand?’ And though he’d scowled down on Jace for being too careful with him, he couldn’t muster the strength to do the same with Magnus. He also knew Mags wouldn’t want him to. He wanted Alec to be honest about everything, causing him to always feel bad after sniping at him, so he simply nodded and pushed himself up. Magnus had already collected his phone and shirt before he opened a portal in just a matter of seconds.

The moment he stepped into the apartment, he felt better. It was like sinking down in a cold bath after a bad sunburn, calming his overheated, still crawling skin. A sigh of relief escaped him. 

-

After a soothing bath, Alec put on his most comfortable – worn out – sweats, and a stretched – worn out – t-shirt. He walked over to the kitchen where Magnus was preparing for an early dinner. Happily, he wound his arms around the warlock from behind, pressing his nose into his shoulders to take in the delicious smell of _Magnus_ he could once more enjoy to its fullest. 

‘Feeling better, darling?’ He simply hummed in response. ‘What exactly happened?’ Now he shrugged. Loosening his arms and sitting down on top of the counted, he said: ‘I don’t know. I started getting tired because I was sparring with Jace-’

‘The two of you were fighting?!’ A blush immediately covered his cheeks. He knew Magnus didn’t like him practicing combat. He thought the risk of getting hit in the stomach was too big, but Alec disagreed. Jace might be annoying and over-confident, but he wouldn’t do that. However, he didn’t like Magnus being cross with him. 

‘Sorry. We were. And it was fine, ’ he hastily added. ‘But when I got tired, my skin started tingling, like I had a sunburn. And it got worse when Jace touched my shoulder.’

‘Where did he touch you?’ Turning around in his spot, Alec pulled up the shirt he was wearing to point out the spot. Magnus lightly trailed his fingers over it. 

‘It’s red. Like an allergic reaction.’ The shirt was once more fixed in place. ‘We’ll see if it keeps up and ask Cat about it if it doesn’t fade by tomorrow.’ Magnus did his best to appear unfazed, but Alec could see the worry in the slight pull of his eyebrows. 

‘Don’t worry. I feel fine now.’ They smiled softly at each other, but they probably taught the same right now. What if this was some kind of side effect because of the pregnancy, something might be wrong. Neither of them had heard of something like this before, so it may be simply because their children were neither human, nor shadowhunter, nor warlock. But they didn’t know, and it scared them, though neither would admit it. If it went on like this, it might even end badly for Alec.  
But they couldn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey cuteys, this took a bit longer, and I'm afraid it will be my last update for a few weeks as I'll be out sailing and camping the next two weeks!
> 
> I hope this was okay-ish? It feels like a bit of a filler, but I wanted some more Jace, and somehow this happened? I have an explanation for everything, so I might add that in one of the next chapters if i feel like it. IDK. I hope this was okay. 
> 
> Lots of love to all of you and hopefully, I'll see you all soon!


	6. Seventeen weeks

‘Angels, I am so fat,’ Alec whined, standing in front of the mirror and discarding the last pair for pants that had fit up until now. All other jeans had been thrown into the back of the closet weeks before, but this one had been stretchy enough that he could finally wear it without a belt. Now however, it seemed even these jeans weren’t stretchy enough anymore. 

Wearing nothing but his boxers, he flopped down on the huge bed, rolling over on his side and curling up around his pillow. 

Magnus stepped out of their shared bathroom to this rewarding view. Alec could practically hear him purring from the doorway before his bare feet padded over. 

‘Darling, you are most definitely not fat.’ The bed dipped behind him as Magnus crawled across and plastered himself to his back. His arms circled around him to pull him closer and caress the stretched skin.

‘I am. My stomach is huge and I don’t fit any of my pants anymore.’ He didn’t even know why he was so upset about this. He loved their babies and the fact that they were growing well and he and Magnus could admire them every day. He was proud of his belly and loved whenever Magnus touched it like he was doing now. He’d just wanted to put on those stupid pants so he could go get groceries later. 

‘You are not fat. You are pregnant,’ a kiss was pressed against the back of his neck, ‘and beautiful,’ another kiss on his shoulder. ‘And so sexy.’ One hand stayed on his belly while the other moved to his face and turned it so Magnus could finally bring their lips together. Involuntarily, a moan escaped his mouth. Even though he didn’t totally agree with his warlock, how could he complain when this was what he was getting out of it?

Rolling over so he could more easily kiss his boyfriend, he suddenly felt something flutter in his stomach.  
He froze.

‘Alec?’ Magnus pulled back and stared worriedly at him. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I…’ He didn’t know what to say, because he didn’t know. He’d just thought…  
And then he felt it once more.

A smile crept across his lips. It felt like it was splitting open his face. Taking Magnus’ hand, he placed it once more on his belly, on the side now facing up, the side Magnus hadn’t been touching before.  
‘I just felt-’ He was cut off by the fluttering once more. The look on Magnus’ face turned form worried and confused to reverent. 

‘Was that…?’

‘That was our baby,’ Alec whispered as softly as he could. If he talked too loud, he might break the spell cast around them. Happy tears blurred his vision and streamed down to his pillow. Magnus leaned forward and kissed them away, his hand not moving from where it was laying on his belly. 

‘I love you. I love you so much, Alexander,’ he whispered back just as quiet.

 

And really, what was he even complaining about before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, look at this.
> 
> I just couldn't leave like that, I had to write something fluffy, because this fic is pretty fluffy.  
> So, enjoy, and I'll see you all later!


	7. Twenty-one weeks

The hospital wasn’t much more inviting the second time Alec and Magnus where there, but that might’ve been because Alec was feeling humiliated and achy. He’d been brought to the examination room in a wheelchair since his belly could no longer be hidden by a sweater, no matter how baggy, and he hadn’t wanted Magnus to waste his magic on something that could be bypassed. He knew it was necessary, and his own choice nonetheless, but he felt like an invalid, his face red as Magnus pushed him towards the examination room. He didn’t know if it was because of the humiliation or excitement.   
They’d get to see the new ultrasound today. Find out how their babies were doing. Find out the gender. And he was so happy. Happy and nervous and excited. 

But achy. So achy. The last couple of days, his hips had started hurting, trying to accommodate not one, but two growing babies in a body that just didn’t have the space for them. 

‘Anything else, apart from that?’ Catarina asked when he was done explaining these things. She’d been checking up on the instruments while he was talking, but now turned to him, carefully placing a hand on the side of his stomach. Her hand was unusually warm, something he hadn’t really expected because of her cold blue skin. He knew it was stupid to base his suspicions on something like that, but somehow, he still had. 

‘My skin started itching when I went into the institute. It went red where Jace touched it.’ The nurse let out a small hum, moving her hand over the white globe of his belly. After a few more moments, she looked up at him and smiled. 

‘Well, you’re a bit big for how far you’re along, just like last time. Which probably is partly because your babies are growing so well, and partly because they can only move in one direction as your hips are too narrow to properly accommodate the children.   
I’ll make you a potion that will gradually make them expand, so that should help with the pain as well. It’ll be ready in a few days.  
As for your skin, my suspicion is that because of the demon blood your babies have in them, you’re reacting bad to the wards around the place. Like an allergic reaction. Because they’re also part of you, you haven’t had any symptoms before.’ Alec frowned and was dimly aware of Magnus trailing his fingers along his arm. He didn’t like his babies being described like this. Of course he knew they would be part warlock, so in extension part demon, but that wasn’t what they _were_. They were their children. Their babies. Their lovelies. His and Magnus’. And while he knew Cat didn’t mean it like that – she was part demon herself, for angels’ sake –, it still hurt. It felt inexplicitly wrong. 

Just like it felt wrong being banned out of his childhood home because he was expecting. Sure, he hadn’t thought of it as _home_ for years now, but still. The institute was a part of him. A part of his world, a place he’d always been able to go, no matter what. It was where the other part of his family lived. It was where he worked when he still could. Not that he could go in the next couple of months, but he would like to be able to be around his siblings either way. Without being itchy the reminder of the day. 

‘Can you do something about that?’   
‘I can prescribe you some antihistamines, but I would strongly discourage you taking them more than one every three days, because taking too many of them can have negative effects on the twins. Keep the physical contact to a minimum, and no seraph blades or other angelic weapons for you from now on.’

A sigh escaped him. It was like his old life was slowly slipping away from him. Tilting around it’s axis to make way for a new purpose, a new world view. 

‘Let’s get to the fun part of this appointment, all right?’ At the sound of Magnus’ voice, Alec opened his eyes. He hadn’t even been aware that he’d closed them. His boyfriend was smiling down on him, bringing a hand up to brush across his cheek.   
‘Let’s.’

-

That night, the both of them were sitting on the couch. Alec was leaning back against Magnus’ chest, holding the pictures of the ultrasound where they both could see them. He moved the tips of his fingers along the white figures on them. Magnus’ hands were on his hips, his fingers slowly moving over them to sooth the pain in them. Occasionally slipping further down his legs so he could massage the tensed muscles underneath his skin, or up to brush Alec’s belly. A sound of contentment made it out of his throat. 

‘Comfortable?’ He could hear the smile behind his words as his hands slipped up to flit across his stomach again. He purred once more and felt Magnus’ chest shake with his barely contained laughter. 

‘Very,’ he murmured softly, placing his free hand on Magnus’, where it was trailing slow circles across his belly. A pair of soft lips pressed against the back of his neck, making their way towards the hinge of his jaw. Slowly, he turned his head to that the next kiss landed at the corner of his mouth.   
The next set of kisses left him breathless. Lips moving, sliding over each other. The warm press of Magnus’ hands moving along his body, trailing up to his chest to his heart, down his tight to curl his fingers around it. Magnus’ knees came up to bracket him more securely as he started to turn around in his arms. 

‘I love you,’ the shadowhunter mumbled without breaking the kiss. Warm hands stroked his back, pulling him closer so that his belly was pressed flush against Magnus’ stomach. Sweaters were discarded. Shirts thrown on the ground.   
‘I love you too.’ Magnus’ hands slowed on his back, no longer frantically pulling, but instead tracing light patterns on his skin. Their kisses settled into something more calm, relishing in the warmth of each other. The knowledge the other was there for them. The soothing presence next to them.

‘I was thinking-,’ he bit his lip, thinking carefully about his next words, like he hadn’t already been thinking about this all day long. And even before that, when the idea of their children was still a bit vague. Now, it was sharper. More refined. More focussed. But even before, he’d been thinking about these things. ‘I like Max. And Cinta for our girl.’

He felt how the warlock froze underneath him, sucking in a shocked breath. 

‘Or something else. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made assumptions. Of course you can… You’ve got-,’ his face was quickly heating up and he pulled back as far as he could in Magnus’ grip.   
Which evidently wasn’t very far, because Magnus immediately pulled him back, arms wrapping around his waist and keeping him close. 

‘It’s perfect. Perfect for our little boy and girl. You’re so perfect. Max and Cinta.’ And somehow, hearing Magnus say them, made it all seem even more real. He saw pink walls and miniature blue shoes and long nights with both Magnus and him tucked away in a rocking chair, both holding a tiny baby in their arms. Tears started streaming down his face. 

‘Angels, I’m so happy. Magnus, you bring me such joy. Such joy.’ He pressed their lips together once more, ignoring the tears streaming down his face.   
‘You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Never in my life would I’ve expected to love one person this much. And now I’ve got three.’ They both laughed into the kiss. ‘My Alexander. My Max. My Cinta.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! At least for now.  
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Peace out.


	8. Twenty-nine weeks

‘So, I’m thinking corn for the walls, with lilac accents. The great thing about purple and yellow, is that they go together splendidly, and they aren’t established “boy/ girl” colours, so they’re perfect for our little munchkins.’ Alec was laying on his side on the couch, watching Magnus where he sat on the floor, surrounded by colour swatches and magazines, a pencil between his lips. His boyfriend was positively glowing, carefully selecting things that caught his eye and circling them after Alec approved of them. 

‘How about these?’ He held up one of the magazines that seemed to be solely devoted to stuffed animals, pointing towards a small duck. 

‘Please buy those,’ Alec laughed quietly, careful to not disrupt his body or the babies, who were finally asleep, it seemed. They’d been tossing and turning all night and day, leaving Alec uncomfortable and unable to sleep most of the previous night. He was tired and worn, happy to spend the day doing nothing on the couch and watching Magnus put the nursery together. At least his hips had stopped hurting two weeks ago, thanks to Caterina’s potion, but his ankles were a bit swollen and he was starting to think his back would never stop aching. 

‘You should buy them yourself. Come with us?’ Magnus and Isabelle had planned a shopping trip for the next day, and Magnus had been trying to get him to come with for almost a week now. Alec however, had hated shopping even before he’d gotten pregnant. Now, with his sore ankles and painful back and protruding belly, it seemed like some form of modern torture. 

‘I don’t want to go, Mags,’ he whined, putting on a pout in hopes of convincing the other man to just leave him alone. ‘I’m fat and achy and probably want to go home after half an hour because my back hurts so much.’

‘And it would’ve been the best half an hour of the day. Please? I’ll glamour you, so everyone will think we’re there for Isabelle and no one will stare at you. I want you to like the nursery too, and have a chance to voice your opinion. Besides, Cat said it isn’t good for you or the babies to spend all day laying down. It’s better to get some form of exercise.’ It was totally unfair of Magnus to play the: “better for the babies”-card. He knew Alec could never say no to something if it meant their babies would grow more healthy. Which was probably why he’d saved this argument for the last possible moment. He was also ninety-five percent certain Magnus had spent the last two hundred years of his life perfecting his own pucker, just so he could use it against Alec.

‘Fine,’ he sighed at last, throwing up a hand in resignation. Immediately, a kick landed on the inside of his stomach, and he groaned. So ended his peace and quiet. 

-

Alec was not having as much fun as Magnus and Isabelle were obviously having. His boyfriend and sister were practically bouncing through the shop. They’d already selected cribs and a dresser, along with cute little mobiles to hang above the cribs, displaying tiny stars and moons, and matching blankets. The tiny ducks had found their way into the cart, along with almost everything else Magnus had selected the last couple of days. Purple curtains and a comfortable chair. A changing table. Toys and bins and baby baths. A stroller. Paint wouldn’t be bought, because Magnus would just snap his fingers to colour the walls, but he insisted on buying _everything_ else. 

And right now, they were walking through the clothing section. Magnus was pushing the cart, and Alec was practically glued to his side while Isabelle bounced around them. The cart was already filled with more clothes than Alec himself owned: T-shirts and onesies, tiny bodysuits, coats, vests with matching button-ups, rompers, leggings, skirts and dresses, socks, hats, shoes. He didn’t even know this many different kinds of clothes were made for babies!

‘How about these?’ Isabelle inquired, holding up two almost identical onesies, saying: “My daddy is a hero.” One with black letters and the other with silver. 

‘Those are too cute,’ came Magnus’ immediate reply, pulling Alec closer to his side with a hand around his waist. A quick kiss was pressed to his temple, and he looked down to hide his blush, a hand coming up to caress his belly. It probably looked weird to any mundanes paying attention, a boy flitting his hand through the air in front of him. Magnus had done as promised and put a glamour on Alec so that the three of them were the only ones who could see the stretched fabric of his sweater.  
The last couple of months, he’d continued to grow, and was now almost as big as a woman in her final weeks. He really hoped the twins wouldn’t grow much bigger, or he had to buy bigger sweaters. Already, the ones he owned were stretched beyond any hope of recovering, making Magnus happy with the promise of a post-pregnancy shopping trip to buy Alec “more suitable” clothes. 

The onesies were thrown in the cart, and off his sister was again, her long braid disappearing behind a rack full of baby shoes Magnus was now closely inspecting. While his boyfriend wasn’t looking, Alec picked up one of the random articles in the cart. It was a little T-shirt, with blue stripes and smiling clouds in the middle. It was so _tiny_. He could barely imagine fitting something like this on a baby. Did they even fit? And if the clothes were as small as they were, how about the twins themselves? How could he possibly fit his tiny baby in this tiny shirt without hurting them? He could only just dress himself properly. And he knew there were baby-button-ups somewhere in there. Who even thought of something like that? The buttons were smaller than his pinkie nails!

‘Are you all right, darling?’ Alec looked up to find Magnus now looking at him, two pairs of little shoes in his hands. Carefully, they were placed in the cart along with everything else before Magnus took his hands in his own. His golden cat-eyes searched his face but came away uncomprehending. That was something new, as Magnus usually read Alec like a book. 

‘I’m scared,’ he mumbled, looking at the floor. During his relation with the flamboyant warlock, he’d grown better at talking about his feelings, but this was something he didn’t even completely understand himself. ‘These clothes are so tiny. How am I supposed to dress them in something like that?’ He put away the T-shirt he was still holding. 

‘Easy. You take what you want to dress them in, and you put it on them. Just like dressing yourself.’ Magnus was grinning down on him, but Alec could see he wasn’t taking this lightly. 

‘Easy for you to say.’

‘And for you to do. Don’t worry darling, it’ll come natural, I’m sure of that. You’ll be an amazing dad.’ And that hit the problem dead on. Without even realizing it himself, he’d been afraid of screwing this all up. He already loved their twins so much, what if he couldn’t care for them like they deserved? What if he grew up to be like his own dad: absent and always working, stern and unforgiving when at home? Or worse, what if he went to work one day and just never returned? It wasn’t that uncommon amongst shadowhunters. They died young, it was just the way it was. What if he died and left their boy and girl behind, never knowing how much their dad loved them? It was bad enough when he only had Magnus to worry about. Now he had three people he loved more than anything.   
His train of thoughts was interrupted by Magnus.

‘Do you want to go home and snuggle on the couch? Is your back hurting?’ After nodding, they started to push the cart towards the pay register. ‘I’ll give you a massage when we get home,’ Magnus whispered in his ear. 

Half the stuff they picked out was noted on a slip of paper and would be delivered at their home the next day, so they just had to bring the clothes and stuffed animals and blankets and small things like that with them that day. 

‘You’re having twins? Congratulations,’ the girl behind the desk commented while ringing up their stuff. Alec’s head snapped up faster than he’d thought possible, making something crack. The blood only started to flow back into his face as he realized the girl was looking at Isabelle, who was wearing a smug grin and shot him a quick look.

‘Thank you. We’re very happy,’ she replied, smirking as Magnus ran his credit card. Alec could not be more done. _Why was this day not over yet?_ he asked himself as he picked up some of the bright pink shopping bags.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something to fill the void. I'm expecting the next chapter to be a bit angsty.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	9. Thirty-three weeks, part one

Alec waddled out of the bathroom and back to his warm, soft bed.  
Yes.  
Waddled.  
Because that was how he got around these days. Not even a year ago, he’d been jumping down from buildings, now, he could barely use the stairs leading up to their apartment. And he didn’t know how, but his belly was still growing. Already, it was big enough that he couldn’t see his toes when standing upright – yes, he’d checked. 

All in all, he was more awkward than ever, and not only socially now.

After gently lowering himself down onto the bed, he rolled over to his left side and slung an arm around a still-sleeping Magnus. He didn’t blame him for not waking up, it was way too early. If he hadn’t had to get up to pee – again – he would’ve stayed in bed himself as well. It was still strange for him to sleep on the right side of the bed, but found sleeping on his left side was more tolerable. On the same note, he didn’t want to give up cuddling close to Magnus’ side, burying his face against his chest. So they’d switched sides. 

The warlock shifted slightly as Alec curled in, making a soft, non-committal sound to let his lover know he was awake. 

‘’re you all right?’ He mumbled, wrapping his arms around the shadowhunter. Alec hummed in response, closing his eyes and taking in the smell of sandalwood. 

‘These babies make me pee more than I’ve ever done in my entire life. And they’re still growing. How are they still growing? They’ll be huge when they’re finally born. I’m huge.’ He was whining, and he could hear it, but he couldn’t help it. His belly was pressing close to Magnus, and he could feel Cinta moving around and kicking, using the small amount of space she had left now that they’d both grown so big. Magnus’ hand rubbed circles where she kicked him.

‘She’s going to be strong like her shadowhunter daddy,’ he cooed. 

‘And just like her uncle, she likes to kick me in the ribs,’ he complained. Cinta had already proven herself to be the troublemaker out of the two, turning and kicking and moving at every opportunity. Magnus snickered at that, leaning in close to press a kiss against his lips. 

‘Just a few more weeks darling. Then we can meet them in person and you can finally enjoy unbruised ribs once more.’

‘But the broken nights will remain,’ Alec joked, when suddenly, a strong cramp hit him. His breath whooshed out of his lungs like he was punched in the gut as every muscle in his abdomen seemed to convulse simultaneously. 

‘Alec!’ Magnus called out as the young boy curled into himself, hands pressed to his stomach. He clenched his teeth in an effort to stay silent but, _angels_ it hurt, and he whined despite his best effort. ‘Alexander!’

Just as soon as it started though, the pain subsided again. 

‘Are you all right? Should I call Cat?’ The contraction couldn’t have taken longer than two minutes, but his forehead was sweaty when he placed his head on Magnus’ chest. For a moment, he just laid there, regaining his breath. 

‘I’m fine. It was just braxton hicks. If that’s what women have to go through when giving birth, I’ve never been more glad to be a man.’

-

Later that day, Magnus was sitting behind his desk, working on some last-minute work for a client. Alec was moving though the loft, picking up stray clothes and shoes, rearranging the pillows on the couch – by size instead of colour like he did yesterday – and taking down the curtains to wash.

‘You should be careful,’ Magnus commented as he stepped off of the stool he used to reach the curtain rod. ‘You could fall off of that.’

‘Magnus, I’m pregnant, not an invalid,’ Alec said once more as he carefully made his way to the washing room with arms full fabric. He hated being deemed unable to do things himself, even though he knew he was more instable and prone to accidents now due to his big belly.

‘I know you are darling, but I’m just worried about you.’ Magnus put down his pen and swirled around in his chair so he could keep on watching his boyfriend, who was now stepping back into the living room once more.

‘I know you are, but you shouldn’t. I’m fine.’ He smiled and shuffled over to the desk, promptly sitting himself down on Magnus’ lap and pressing his pregnant belly against the warlock. The yellow in Magnus' eyes flashed brighter for a second before they slipped shut. Exploring hands moved forwards and covered both sides of the bump with long fingers. 

‘Alexander, god,’ he moaned as Alec leaned in to suck a bruise on the side of his neck. Magnus’ hands moved further to Alec’s back, pulling him closer to his chest so that they were as flushed together as possible with two babies between them. One of his hands was resting on his hips, and Alec knew that that was a thing now. The pregnancy, his protruding belly, his wider hips. Magnus loved them. Loved it when Alec pressed in close enough that he could feel the babies kicking as well. Loved that these were _their_ children. Their future. Loved Alec’s wider hips, gripping them at every opportunity like he was doing right now. Whenever they lay in bed, when he stood in the kitchen, while they were kissing. The warlock didn’t seem to be able to keep his hands to himself. He suspected Magnus had some kind of breeding kink, with how he was reacting to everything. Not that he was complaining. How could anyone complain about that?

He rolled his hips down on Magnus’ thigh, feeling slim, ringed fingers grip him more securely as Magnus captured his mouth with his own. 

And of course, that was when his cell phone decided to ring from his back pocket. 

‘Leave it,’ the taller man mumbled in his mouth, refusing to give up so easily even though he knew he had work to do himself. Though he knew he should be careful with his pregnant boyfriend. Alec thought he could handle more than his could at this point, and Magnus didn’t want to push him too far. He moved his lips to the shadowhunter’s neck, his hands slipping under the horrible, stretched sweater. 

‘It could be important,’ Alec objected, panting slightly, pulling back a little so he could take out his phone and look at the name on display. Almost letting the device drop down to the floor the second he laid eyes on it. 

_“Maryse”_ , it read.

‘It’s my mother,’ he hissed, looking up from the screen to look at Magnus with wide, panicky eyes. ‘What does she want?’ He hadn’t heard from her or his father for months now. They’d been away in Idris, tending to some business for the Clave. There was also no phone reception in Idris, so her calling meant she was no longer there… and most likely back in New York.

‘You should answer it, or she’ll come by.’ For some reason, they were both whispering, as if she could overhear them otherwise. Taking a deep breath, Alec pressed the green button.

‘Mother. It’s been a while. Is everything all right?’

‘Alexander. Everything is fine. Where are you? I’ve just returned from Idris and your brother and sister say you aren’t at home.’ A lump formed in his throat. What if she wanted to see him? What if she wanted to send him on a mission? An apprehensive hand fluttered towards his stomach, unconsciously protecting his children from anything that might happen. 

‘Ah- I’m at Magnus’,’ he brought out after a while, biting his lips and looking up at the other, who looked back with a gaze as worried as he was himself. 

‘Good. I need to speak to him. I’ll be by shortly.’ And just like that, the line went dead. 

And Alec didn’t know if he could remain alive himself. His breathing sped up and the room started spinning as if Magnus had once more dragged him to one of his favourite clubs. The blood pounded in his ears like the bass of the music. 

‘Alexander, I need you to calm down.’ Cold, calming hands gripped his face, but Magnus’ eyes seemed to swim in his vision. ‘Calm down. Panicking might trigger a labour your body can’t handle.’ Black spots moved around as he tried to focus on the hands holding him, but everything seemed muted. ‘Just breathe. Focus on me.’

‘She’s going to drag me in front of the Clave,’ Alec managed to bring out. ‘They’re going to take our babies away from us.’ Tears started leaking out of his eyes and he clamped a hand over his mouth as if he could force the air to stay in his lungs. 

‘Alec. I would never let that happen to you. Or our babies. Come on. I’ll help you to the bedroom and you can take all the time you need to calm down.’

-

The next thing he knew, he was laying on top of the covers, a pillow underneath his belly and Magnus laying behind him, carding his fingers through his hair. His breathing had evened out somehow, and his heart was calmer, but his mind wouldn’t stop running. Anxiety coursed through his system because _this was everything he didn’t want, everything he’d spend nearly nine months trying to avoid._ He couldn’t use a glamour because his mom would see straight through that. She would think this was abnormal, and worse, unnatural. She’d judge him and decide Max and Cinta didn’t deserve to live. They would be seen as abominations and thrown in a cell in the silent city to be studied by the Brothers, and that was a best case scenario if they weren’t killed by birth. 

‘I can’t lose them. I just can’t Magnus.’

‘I’ll make sure you’re all safe. I’ll protect you. All of you.’ The buzzer came from the main room, and Magnus pressed a kiss to his hairline. ‘Will you be okay? You don’t have to come out until you’re ready, I’ll hold her off.’ A quiet laugh escapes Alec’s lips. 

‘She’ll think you abducted me and keep me locked up, away from my family.’

‘And I’ll take her head on, just for you.’ Alec turned his head around and pulled Magnus close by his neck. Their lips met in a familiar slip and slide, moving against each other with an ease Alec thought he could never experience before he met Magnus. 

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ And then, Magnus went to let in his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhw, cliffhanger?
> 
> I really wanted to write some nesting Alec, so he might return later on :)
> 
> Also, did you see I almost wrote smut there? I'm even thinking about writing a smutty one-shot sidestory if I can bring myself to pour something like that out of my keyboard. Let me know if you would like something like that, hihi
> 
> We're also almost at the end of his story, I can't believe it! just three more (planned) chapters left! Whooh!


	10. Thirty-three weeks, part two

When Alec was nearing the eighteenth week, he’d went to get the mail from the mailbox downstairs. On his way down, he’d been looking at his phone, rereading the text Magnus had send him, complaining about the stupid job he’d been hired to do instead of being home with him. Distracted as he was, he’d missed a step, and in that flash of a second where he wasn’t sure whether he was going to fall, he imagined everything that could happen to his baby. 

Listening to Magnus talking to his mother in the other room was like that. That inescapable feeling of falling combined with the all-consuming fear of losing what you loved and being unable to do anything about it. The visions of everything that could possibly go wrong. And now, they didn’t stop the moment he grabbed hold of the railing. When his foot landed on the next step. Instead, they simply kept on coming, until he was wrung out and all emotions dampened to dull throbs instead of sharp pricks. 

He didn’t know how long he lay there before the voices in the other room quieted down. He hadn’t exactly been listening to what they were saying – the volume was too dulled for that –, more focussing on the sound of them. But he knew he wouldn’t have much more time. Sure, he could tell Magnus he didn’t want to see her yet, but at this point, he didn’t even know what good more time would do him. There was no improving the situation now. No making it any better. Just stalling the inevitable. 

The bedroom door cracked open and Alec could hear Magnus approaching him, recognizing the sound of his footsteps even with his back turned to the door.

‘She really wants to see you. Says it’s important.’

‘What did she want to talk to you about?’ The bed dipped and he felt Magnus crawling over to him. The warlock put out a hand to caress his back. 

‘Something she thought was important and I couldn’t care less about,’ he chuckled, not stopping his small ministrations. He somehow knew Alec’s back was still bothering him, even though he never said anything anymore because it’d been so much better, and loved making his boyfriend melt underneath his touch. ‘Do you want me to send her away? I could curse her so that she could never set a foot near you again?’ Tempting though the offer might seem, Alec shook his head.

‘She’ll never let that happen. You don’t know her the way I do, she’s like an angry hurricane. Can’t be stopped while heading straight towards whatever she wants. Better to just let her in now, where you can control the situation.’ He shot the other man a nervous smile as he bent over to kiss him. 

‘I’ll keep her as far away from you and our babies as you want,’ Magnus whispered before kissing him again and standing up. Alec listened to the door opening and his boyfriend calling out: ‘You can come in here.’ His mother’s high heels clicked against the hard-wood floor, coming closer like the sound of the devil closing in. 

‘Alexander,’ she said as she came in. He could hear her waiting for a beat before she took the next step.

‘Please stay there,’ he whispered, and the steps immediately stopped, not even two steps into the room. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm his fraying nerves. It came out trembling.

‘Alexander, what is going on?’ Maryse demanded. She sounded angry and irritated, and Alec was pretty sure Magnus was holding her back in some way, or she would’ve stood in front of him already. Breathing in once more did nothing to ease the anxiety pooling in his gut, but he scraped all his remaining courage together, trusting Magnus to make sure nothing went south all too far.   
He pushed down the covers and rolled over onto his back, protruding belly on clear display for all to see. 

His mother’s mouth fell open in a way that would’ve been comical if it wasn’t for the situation at hand. Her eyes grew bigger than ever as they landed on Alec’s bigger than ever belly. Eyebrows furrowed and after a second she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. 

She was silent for such a long time Alec began to suspect she was having a stroke or something.

‘What is…’ She didn’t seem to be able to finish her sentence and Alec pulled up his shoulders, hands clutching at his stomach. Tears prickled in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. ‘What is that?’ The older shadowhunter brought out eventually. 

‘I’m pregnant,’ Alec whispered, so softly you could’ve missed it if you weren’t paying attention the way his mother was. 

‘That… That-,’ with every word that left his mother’s lips, he felt his breathing speeding up again. She couldn’t accept it. She would reject him and his babies. She, she-

‘Alexander.’ Alec recoiled slightly at the sound of his name, memories of his mother calling out to him flooding his mind for a second before he realised it wasn’t her that’d said it. It was Magnus. His Magnus. He was standing next to him, close to the bed, his mother left alone in de doorway. ‘Stay calm, remember?’   
Just as he was about to answer, a shock of pain shot through his abdomen. Muscles clenching and contracting. He could feel Cinta and Max kicking inside of him, but it was dull compared to the strength of the tightening of his belly. 

‘Alec!’ Magnus’ hands flew to his stomach as well just as Alec rolled over to his side, curling up. They rubbed frantically across the bump, trying to sooth the pain. 

‘Stay back!’ His boyfriend called out, but Alec didn’t pay any attention to it. Angels, it hurt. It hurt so much. Angels, angels, angels!

‘I know darling, I know, hold on.’ Something warm pressed against his forehead and only after it left, he realized it was a kiss. 

‘I said _stay back!_ ’

‘He needs water. Dehydration makes the contractions worse. When is he due?’ Magnus didn’t answer her, but he felt a bottle of water pressed to his lips just as the pain began to ebb away. Drinking greedily, he flopped back on the countless pillows adorning the bed. He turned his head, breath still laboured. Maryse now stood closer, at the far edge of the bed. Panting, he took in her worried gaze. The twins were still restless inside of him, as if they were afraid of what just happened. He moved a soothing hand over them calming them in the only way he could.

‘Six more weeks,’ he brought out, subtly sliding closer to his boyfriend. The angelic power radiating from his mother that marked her as a shadowhunter made his skin crawl. Though that might just have been because of how close she suddenly was to his children. He felt too exhausted to put much energy into being anxious though. ‘We’re going caesarean.’ 

She nodded, putting out a hand as if to stroke his hair, and he recoiled automatically. 

‘Don’t… Don’t touch me. The… The babies. They can’t handle being in contact with other shadowhunters right now. It irritates me. Like a sunburn.’ Something flashed in her eyes and her brows crept closer before smoothing out.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ And the only thing Alec could do at that was stare. Here he was, almost nine months pregnant with his warlock boyfriend’s children, and his mother wanted to know why he didn’t _tell her?_

‘I… What? You don’t think…’ 

‘Alexander, this is…,’ she turned around for a second as if composing herself, searching for words on the burgundy walls. When she looked back, something steely was in her eyes, the same way it’s been for his whole life. ‘This is unexpected. But you could’ve told me. I would’ve supported you. And… babies? Are you having twins?’

‘I am. We are.’ And that was the moment Alec started crying for real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws glitter*
> 
> I'm looking forward to writing the last few chapters! They'll probably be fluffy once more, and I love fluffy. 
> 
> Let me know what you think and if you still have something you would like me to write :)  
> xox


	11. Thirty-seven weeks

The day began normal. Alec was relaxing on the couch, some baby-Mozart music playing in the background because he’d read online that letting your unborn baby listen to Mozart improved their intelligence. A book from their extensive library was balanced on the top of his bump. Magnus had stocked up on thrillers and novels ever since Alec began to spend most of his days inside the loft, uncomfortable with going outside while visibly pregnant, even if mundanes couldn’t see it.

After about an hour, he put away the book and stood. The pressure on his back and bladder increased immediately as it had ever since the babies had dropped a few days ago, but he had to go and get himself something to drink. Magnus had some text he was pouring over in his office, and he needed to stay hydrated to keep the false labours at bay.

‘By the angel,’ Alec was panting by the time he reached the kitchen, moving a hand to his swollen stomach and another to the counter to support himself. The babies might be quieting down because of their limited space, but they were taking their toll either way. His lower back hurt like hell, and the pain was making moving around uncomfortable. He spent most of his days lying in bed or on the couch, reading - as he had today. 

Turning on the tap, he filled one of the glasses they’d started keeping next to the sink ever since the twins had grown too big for Alec to be able to reach the cupboards comfortably. He took a sip and revelled in the feeling as his dry mouth filled up with the cold water.

‘What are you doing here, all alone?’ Two warm hands caressed his hips before sliding up to cup his belly. ‘You come here often, beautiful?’ Magnus pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Alec could practically hear the teasing smirk he undoubtedly sported. 

‘Yes, actually. I come here quite a lot with my boyfriend,’ he retorted easily. ‘But he’s rather jealous, so you’d better watch out.’ 

‘I am _not_ jealous, Alexander!’ Alec snorted and put his glass away so he could turn and look at the warlock.

‘You totally are. It’s a miracle you aren’t as green as Ragnor.’ A smirk he’d totally learned from his boyfriend himself spread across his face as he watched Magnus gasp, putting a hand over his heart in shock.

‘Don’t you curse me like that! You know green isn’t my colour! You’d better take that back, Alexander.’ Alec leaned back against the counter, still grinning.

‘Nope. You know I’m right.’ 

‘I am not some green cabbage, Alexander,’ crossing the small distance between them, Magnus caged him in his arms, trapping him against the counter. Pressing himself against his belly and effectively putting himself very much in Alec’s space. ‘Take it back.’ Alec giggled, moving one hand to his own stomach and one to Magnus’ back to pull him closer, as close as he could manage in his current state. Taking a deep breath, Alec was fully prepared to keep up their banter for some more time, when the pain hit him. 

Sucking in a surprised breath, he doubled over, curling around his swollen stomach. Shudders ran down his spine and it felt like each and every muscle in his body was stung taut as it protested against the pain. Black spots drifted in front of his eyes and he couldn’t get in a new breath.

‘Alec!’ He noticed Magnus’ arms wrapping around him as he sunk down to the floor, his legs no longer able to carry him. Desperately trying to suck in some air, he felt something hot and wet drip down towards his thighs, wetting the material of his boxers and jeans. Tears sprung in his eyes because of the pain, and he looked up at Magnus, who was frantically moving his hands all over his body, trying to find out what was wrong, what’d happened. Something like this hadn’t happened before and he didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know how to help without the shadowhunter telling him what was wrong. No braxton hicks contraction had been this violently, this painful. ‘Alexander, what’s wrong?’

Moving a trembling hand down, Alec felt the wet spot at his backside.

‘Magnus, I’m bleeding,’ he gasped out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!


	12. Zero days

Alec was laying on the bed, sweating, breathing hard. His hands clutched at his swollen stomach as his body tried to do _something_ it obviously couldn’t. Every muscle felt strained and hurt, contracting in ways they shouldn’t. At the moment, they were a bit more relaxed as the contraction had worn off, but no matter how exhausted Alec already was, he couldn’t force himself to relax while awaiting the next one. And he knew there would be a next one.

Magnus was pacing at the foot of the bed, gripping at his phone and carding his free hand through his hair, frantically waiting for Catarina to pick up. His eyes were glued to Alexander on the bed, careful of any change for the worse. This was the third call he made to Cat, but the blue warlock had yet to pick up. Finally, just as the call was about to go to voicemail, it was answered.

Not bothering with niceties, he cut to the chase immediately: ‘Catarina, where are you? Alec’s in labour!’ 

Alec couldn’t hear what she was saying, but Magnus looked him over once more before answering. 

‘I know he can’t, that’s why I’m calling you!’

‘Magnus,’ the shadowhunter suddenly gasped, screwing his eyes shut.

‘Please get here as fast as you can.’ The phone was tossed somewhere and then Magnus was behind him, pulling Alec close to his chest and curling up behind the younger boy wrapped in his arms.

‘I got you, darling. I got you, don’t worry. Cat will be here soon.’ Alec could feel soft sparks of magic buzzing through his body from Magnus’ finger tips, but they weren’t helping, weren’t soothing the pain in the way they normally did when he was hurt. And _angels_ -

‘It hurts so much, Mags,’ he whined, pressing his face in the pillows underneath his head. A soft whimper escaped him as the contraction reached a peak, and quickly receded as if it never happened, leaving him panting and out of breath in its wake. His stomach kept hurting, and at the base of his pelvis was a pressure that wouldn’t let up no matter what. He didn’t know pain like this could even exist. It was worse than being poisoned, worse than being cut or beaten.

‘I know. Just hold on, it’ll be over soon.’ He felt more magic being poured into him as Magnus’ hands moved over his abdomen in a soothing manner. ‘Focus on breathing.’

He really wanted to turn around and face his boyfriend, but the fear of triggering a contraction was too big. Rationally, he knew a new contraction couldn’t be started by moving like that, but still – he shouldn’t be able to have contractions at all. He didn’t know whether he believed in rationality anymore.  
He just wanted everything to stop.

‘Mags,’ Alec sobbed, grabbing one of the warlock’s hands and almost crushing it in the process. 

‘I’m here, darling.’

‘Magnus!’ The couple looked up to see the blue-skinned warlock stepping in through the bedroom door, most definitely after portalling herself to the apartment. ‘Alexander. How are you feeling?’ 

‘Like crap.’ Like dying. Like nothing in the world should be allowed to hurt as much as this does. He doesn’t say any of those things, but his unspoken words must’ve been apparent on his face, as Catarina’s features softened. She rushed to the bed and sunk down on the edge, hovering her hands above Alec’s stomach. Her eyes closed in concentration while both boys looked at her anxiously.

‘Definitely labour.’ Her eyes opened and she bend over to grab the bag dropped on the floor. ‘Obviously, your body can’t handle a natural labour because there’s nowhere the babies can go. Magnus, I need you to put Alec to sleep. As deep as you can.’

And that was… that wasn’t what they’d discussed. That wasn’t their plan. Alec would be numbed and he would be _there_ for the delivery. He would be present. Not asleep while he was being cut up!

‘Alec, there’s simply no time to give you an anaesthesia,’ Cat said the moment she noticed his panic. ‘I can’t do it myself because of the possible repercussions my magic might have on the twins, and I most certainly can’t have you awake and feeling everything.’ His eyes found Magnus over his shoulder, and the cat-eyed man nodded, pressing a light kiss on his lips.

‘It’ll be all right. Go to sleep, darling. When you wake up, this will all be over.’ Hesitantly, Alec nodded, biting his lips as he could feel the next contraction starting. 

A golden-skinned hand moved over his eyes, and everything went dark.

-

Everything felt heavy. A weight pressing down on his limbs, tying him to the bed. His mind felt groggy, fogged up, numb and _empty_. Empty. He felt… nothing. No pain, no kicking or cramps. Nothing. Just blessed darkness, nothing else to hurt him. 

And that was when he heard it. Running footsteps. Hushed, agitated voices. Doors slamming closed just a bit too loud.   
And louder than anything: the high pitched cry of a baby. 

Alec’s eyes snapped open and he gasped in a breath as a burning pain became apparent in his stomach. His strangely empty stomach, he noticed as one of his hands moved weakly over where the bulge used to be. And angels did he feel weak. His hands were shaking and he was breathing hard, as if he’d just run a marathon instead of woken up from a magical sleep. His mouth was dry and every breath was like a stab to his abdomen.

‘Alec!’ Magnus appeared in his line of vision, carrying a pink bundle in his arms. ‘You shouldn’t be awake yet! How are you feeling?’ The warlock had a frantic look in his eyes as he rocked the obviously crying blanket in his arms. 

‘Is that…?’ His voice cracked as he ignored all the other questions, eyes glued to the bundle before moving through the room, searching for the blue blanket. 

‘Yeah. This is Cinta.’ Magnus sat down on the side of the bed, carefully laying down and placing the now finally silent baby on Alec’s chest. With difficulty, he brought up his arms to gently support the child. He felt drained still, glad Magnus didn’t let go of their baby. 

The tiny girl looked up at Alec – her father – with big golden eyes. Not the cat eyes her dad had, but the colour was exactly the same. Her mouth hung a little bit open, as if surprised to see the world herself. A small tuft of hair stuck to her forehead and her skin glowed like Magnus’.   
She was beautiful.

‘Where is Max?’ He asked, tearing his eyes away from their daughter to look at his boyfriend. Magnus bit at his bottom lip, eyebrows pulling together as they had been when Alec first woke up. 

‘Catarina took him to the nursery. She’s set up a baby unit because he had difficulty breathing.’ His breath stuck in his throat as he took in this information. 

‘Is he… Will he be all right?’ A beat of silence. 

‘Catarina thinks he will be. But he’s underdeveloped and too small for his age. He needs some time to… adjust.’ 

‘I want to see him.’ It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the warlock, but this was his baby. Their baby. His tiny son that he’d carried for nine months and hadn’t even seen after he was born. It felt like he’d disappeared. Like he’d been a bad father already by abandoning his son after he was first born. He needed to see him. Needed to see with his own eyes that he was there, that he was all right. Right now, with only their daughter here, he felt like he was missing something. Some integral part that’d been inside of him for some time now. One half was in his arms, and was taken away. 

Magnus must’ve seen this in his eyes – or he just knew the other boy that well –, because he placed Cinta down on the bed before bending down to help Alec up. The moment the shadowhunter stood – shaking legs, dark spots in his vision, arms clutched around his boyfriend – said boyfriend picked up their daughter again.   
The trek to the nursery was slow, but as soon as they arrived, they stopped in the doorway. Or rather, Alec stopped, forcing Magnus to stop as well. The baby boy in the unit was even smaller than his sister. Frail, thin limbs and a tube connected to his minuscule nose all serving to make him look even more fragile. He didn’t remember the pain in his abdomen he’d felt while walking here, nor did he notice anyone other in the room. All he could think about was how breakable Max looked, laying in a bed that was obviously too big for the boy.

‘You should sit down,’ a stern voice came, and Alec let himself be guided to the rocking chair placed next to the unit without taking his eyes of the baby inside of it. ‘What were you thinking, coming here after what you’d just gone through? As if your body didn’t experience a big enough of a shock yet. I should never have trusted Magnus to keep you laying down and should’ve just used my magic to tie you to the bed myself.’

‘Will he be all right?’ Catarina moved to the other side of the unit to check something on a small monitor. 

‘Most probably. He’s just having some trouble breathing because his lungs haven’t fully developed yet, but that should be all right in a few days. His heartbeat and reflexes are all good and I’m assuming his pale colour has less to do with some major problem and more with genetics.’ She shot a meaningful look at Alec’s pale face and hands. ‘If he’s got any of his father’s stubborn determination, he’ll be just fine.’ Alec didn’t know whether she meant Magnus or him himself, but he didn’t care, because the boy just opened his bright blue eyes. His chest was rapidly rising and falling, but unlike Cinta when he’d first seen her, he didn’t make a sound. His small round lips were hanging open like his sister’s had though, and for a second the two just stared at each other. A moment later, he put out his small hand, making a demanding grabbing motion. As if in trance, Alec stuck out his own hand and placed it inside the opening of the unit, feeling Max grab his finger with a strength no one would associate with the tiny baby. 

Then Magnus crouched down next to him and said: ‘They’re both beautiful. Our beautiful babies.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O my god, it's done! I'm so happy!! I can't believe it's actually over! I was struggling a lot with this chapter, so I hope you all like it nonetheless!
> 
> I'm thinking about turning this into a series so if you've got any ideas or promps for that, feel free to message me and I'll see what I can do :)
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support and super sweet comments and kudos, you are the ones who keep me going and I seriously love all of you!   
> xx


End file.
